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So Long, Swaddle!

It’s been over a month since we said goodbye to swaddling! The morning came that I awoke to him completely swaddled, but face-down and on his belly! It was quite an alarming sight. I knew he was able to roll during play-time, but I had no idea he could roll with a swaddle on! Needless to say, I think J was ready to be free to move as he pleased while he slept.

It was easier than I anticipated. After just a few sleepless nights of increased startles and shifts, baby J quickly got used to the idea and stopped waking himself up so often! He’s now happily going to sleep on his back, eventually makes his way to the side, and on some occasions rolls all the way on his belly to sleep. He shifts and rolls, but rarely wakes anymore, he just drifts back to sleep on his own. I’m not so scared now of him ending up on his belly. During a minor panic attack, my Mom gently reminded me that if he got himself there, he can also get himself back.

Baby J has always been strong, he was holding his own head up literally the minute he was born. I’ve never been afraid he couldn’t move his head, but more afraid that he wouldn’t. But, after watching him sleep a few times (speaking of those sleepless nights), I was able to see him, first-hand, lift and move his head to the side to breathe. For my own sanity, I had to see it for myself before I was comfortable letting him stay that way.

Naps and bed times are much more simple now. If he drifts to sleep before bed time, I don’t have to sneak him into his swaddle and hope he doesn’t wake. Swaddling served a huge purpose in the first 4 months of J’s life. It was such a calming, comforting way for him to sleep, but as wonderful as it was, that chapter is now closed for us. It’s a relief, and it’s a little sad, because it reminds me how quickly he’s growing up! Next step: moving him from the bassinet to the crib in his nursery! That might be a bigger adjustment… not just for J but for Mommy as well! Let’s just cross that bridge when we come to it ; )

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2 thoughts on “So Long, Swaddle!”

I can second those sleepless nights watching little man sleep! We have a tummy sleeper, and it took me weeks to eventually realize that he wasn’t going to just put his face down and stop breathing. Oh the guilt I felt letting him sleep this way… but it was the only way if he was going to sleep at all. I think listening to good parenting advice is important, but in the end every baby is different and sometimes you have to go against mainstream thought. It changes every few years anyway!